JVC Everio GZ-HD320

Auto Mode (8.4)

As with most compact HD camcorders, the JVC GZ-HD320 is likely to attract a variety of beginner and novice users. This makes its auto features all more important. The auto system on the HD320 is a bit different than on other camcorders. There is no simple 'easy' mode that locks you out of accessing any of the camcorder's controls. Instead, there is a regular auto mode, which simply hides all the manual control features from the menu system. You can even switch over to manual mode and still run the camcorder entirely automatically. All controls must be individually set to manual in addition to being in manual mode before they can be adjusted by the user.
 
 As far as the basic manual controls go, some of them were very good, while others didn't perform as well as we expected. Autofocus is very good and it works quickly and accurately. Subjects don't appear to awkwardly snap into focus, nor does the system work slowly—it simply works very well. The camcorder is also equipped with face detection, which we found to also work well.

 Auto exposure was another story. It worked very slowly, often taking up to 3-4 seconds before the camcorder finishes its adjustment. When in manual mode, you can set the exposure metering mode to Whole Screen or Spot. In Spot mode, a target appears in the centre of the screen and exposure adjustments are made based on the level of light that the target is pointed at. Using Spot mode definitely increases the speed of auto exposure adjustments, although it can be difficult to use if you're filming in a mixed-light situation. Also buried in the camcorder's menu is a backlight compensation feature, which will help expose a subject that has strong illumination behind them.

Auto white balance on the GZ-HD320 worked better than it did on the standard definition JVC GZ-MG670, but it didn't do a great job. In some of our bright light testing, we noticed a yellow hue and some awkward colour balance issues when using auto white balance settings. The manual white balance works well, but it is hard to use and is definitely not intuitive.

In video mode, JVC assigns the task of an auto/manual toggle to one of the Laser Touch buttons.

Low Light Modes
The GZ-HD320 doesn't have a true dedicated low light mode (like Sony's infrared NightShot system). What it does have is a slow shutter option and a Night scene mode. The slow shutter setting is a bit confusing, as it is part of the Auto Gain Control (AGC) menu. Setting the AGC to Auto allows the camcorder to drop to a 1/30 of a second shutter speed in low light situations. It probably would have made more sense for JVC to simply call this a slow shutter setting, rather than grouping it with AGC. The Night scene mode is essentially the same setting, except it allows the camcorder's shutter speed to drop to even slower speeds. Yes, this will boost the light levels when you film in the dark, but it also produces an intensely choppy slow-shutter effect that completely alters the video image.

Scene Modes
Scene modes can be set only when the camcorder is in Manual mode. The HD320 has scene options for Night, Twilight, Portrait, Sports, Snow, and Spotlight.

Zoom (6.5)

Zoom is primarily controlled with the small toggle located on the top of the GZ-HD320. It feels small and a bit fragile, but it is certainly adequate. For two-handed shooting, there is a secondary zoom control mapped to the Laser Touch slider. The latter is not sensitive to finger pressure, while the toggle is. If you want some control over the speed of your zoom, you'll need to stick to the traditional zoom toggle.

The zoom toggle isn't fancy, but it gets the job done.

While operating the zoom, a small scale will appear on the LCD. The scale will track your progress in the available zoom range. Next to the scale is a numerical equivalent. The number only displays in whole number increments, but it's better than having no number at all.

Zoom Ratio (7.0)

The JVC GZ-HD320 has a 20x optical zoom. Unlike the standard definition models from JVC this year, there is no dynamic zoom to artificially expand the zoom range. 20x, however, is quite good for a high definition camcorder. Most of the competition has just a 10x or 12x optical zoom.

There is also a digital zoom, which can be capped at 80x or 200x. A small line on the zoom scale divides digital from optical, when digital zoom is engaged. Don't forget: digital zoom always degrades the overall video quality, so it should be used sparingly, if at all.

Zoom Comparisons
Wide Angle	10x Zoom	20x Zoom

Focus (5.5)

The JVC GZ-HD320 comes equipped with a full manual focus controlled through the Laser Touch control, though if you rely entirely on manual focus, you may be better off selecting a model with a lens ring or dial for controlling focus—such as the top models from Canon, Panasonic, or Sony.

When you do use the Laser Touch for adjusting focus, it's surprisingly smooth; there don't seem to be set increments as you scroll the slider. Don't be fooled by the 'Laser Touch' name: this is a far superior control method to touch screen focus, which feels more incremental and forces you to block the LCD with your finger while adjusting focus.

The Laser Touch focus isn't as good as a dial or ring focus, but it's easy to use and better than you'd think.

The JVC GZ-HD320 also comes equipped with a focus assist tool, which comes in handy. It is essentially a peaking option, which helps define sharp edges during a manual focus. Inside the Display Settings sub menu, you can change the peaking colour to red, green, or blue.

Exposure Controls

13 increments, from -6 to +6

Aperture Controls

None

Shutter Speeds

1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/80, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000

White Balance Controls

Manual, Fine, Cloud, Halogen

Gain Controls

Auto Gain Control (AGC) off, on, auto

Exposure (7.5)

Exposure is controlled via the Brightness tool, which provides the user with a sliding scale of thirteen total increments, from -6 to +6. It is a simplistic tool that is essentially the same thing you find on nearly every consumer camcorder, though some have more increments.

Exposure is a simple thirteen-step tool

Aperture (0.0)

The JVC GZ-HD320 does not have full manual aperture control. 2009 models from Sony are also lacking aperture control, while Canon at least offers an aperture priority mode on its models, including the Canon Legria HF20. The Sanyo VPC-HD200 and Panasonic HDC-HS20 both have full manual aperture control.

Shutter Speed (9.6)

The JVC GZ-HD320 offers a surprising range of shutter speeds, which can only slightly make up for the lack of any aperture control. You still have no control over depth of field and lowering the shutter speed can cause considerable blurring and trailing. The option is still there, however, to increase your shutter to a full half-second or drop it down to just 1/4000 of a second. There are thirteen total shutter speeds available.

The HD320 offers a surprising variety  of shutter speed options.

White Balance (7.25)

There are only three distinct white balance pre-sets available on the JVC GZ-HD320, so you'll probably find yourself relying regularly on the full manual white balance. The manual white balance is slightly yellow in some indoor lighting, but the effect is really quite good overall. The problem is the strangely unintuitive interface for using the manual white balance.

The manual white balance requires you to use the Laser Touch in an unusual way: this is the one instance on the camcorder when you'll have to hold down the OK button and wait for the manual white balance to go into effect before you can let go. Considering how you usually tap the buttons and the slider quickly and lightly, this is an oddly frustrating detail.

There aren't many white balance pre-sets available, but the manual white balance is effective, if unintuitive.

Gain (2.0)

JVC consumer camcorders do not have discrete gain controls, but the GZ-HD320 follows the trend of other JVC camcorders in offering some control over whether to use the unit's built-in auto gain control (AGC). On the HD320, you can choose between AGC off, AGC on, and AGC auto. In low light, turning the AGC off resulted in an impossibly dark image. Turning the AGC on allowed for a significantly brighter image. Setting the AGC to auto was slightly brighter still—perhaps as a result of the seemingly slower shutter speed.

Colour & Image Controls (2.0)

There are really no extra colour or image controls available on the JVC GZ-HD320. Many consumer camcorders have a soft skin mode, vivid, or similar options. There is nothing like this on the HD320. The Canon HF20 also gives the user minimal control over contrast, colour depth, and sharpness. The Panasonic HDC-HS20 has even more control over colour and sharpness. With the HD320, what you see is what you get. The only option that you get is to switch the camcorder to shoot in the x.v.Colour gamut, which offers a wider range of colours than the standard colour mode. However, this will only work with a display that supports the x.v.Colour gamut, and most don't.

Colour/Image Control	Description
x.v.Colour	expands the available colour gamut for x.v.Colour-compatible televisions

Other Manual Controls (1.0)

Here, again, the JVC is somewhat lacking. Certainly nothing as advanced as noise reduction (like you'll find on the Sanyo VPC-HD2000) or even as simple as guidelines, which you find on virtually every other comparable camcorder.

Control	Description
Tele Macro	allows you to focus on items close to the camcorder (focal distance is approximately 1cm to 1m)